FAIR

Joseph Smith

Come, Follow Me Week 41 – Doctrine and Covenants 111-114

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Finances and Faith in the Kirtland Crisis of 1837

by Elizabeth Kuehn

(This is from a presentation given at the 2017 FairMormon Conference)

While I will cover nineteenth-century economics and the Kirtland bank briefly in my presentation today, I also want to focus on the period of spiritual crisis in Kirtland in 1837 and ways I hope we can learn from the Kirtland experience for our current moment of spiritual crisis.

The crisis within the Mormon community of Kirtland has been inseparably connected to the founding and subsequent failure of the church’s Kirtland bank. However, there is too often a direct causal connection assumed between the bank and the 1837 crisis. The focus of my presentation today is to demonstrate the complexity of this period of history, contextualize both the bank and the crisis, and address several prevailing assumptions about each.

Although most Kirtland narratives place the bank amid the financial devastation of 1837, the Kirtland Safety Society Bank was organized in November 1836. As such, understanding developments in Kirtland in 1836 is key. [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 41 – Doctrine and Covenants 111-114

“A Life Lived in Crescendo”: Selected Punctuation Marks of Joseph Smith’s Final Years

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A “Come, Follow Me” YouTube Virtual Fireside Series Sponsored by

The Interpreter Foundation, Book of Mormon Central, and FAIR

 

The next presentation will be on Sunday, October 17, at 6:00 PM Mountain Time. Jeffrey Bradshaw will be speaking on “Freemasonry and the Origins of Latter-day Saint Temple Ordinances.” A flyer is available here.

Introduction

[Joseph Smith] lived his life in crescendo, it grew in intensity and volume as he approached its close. Higher and still higher the inspiration of God directed his thoughts; bolder were his conceptions, and clearer his expositions of them. So far was he from being a “fallen prophet” in the closing months of his career, as apostates charged, that he grew stronger with each passing day; more impressive in weight of personal character, and charm of manner; for he preserved amid all the conflicts and trials through which he passed—until the shadows of impending death began to fall upon him in Carthage prison—the natural sweetness of his nature, and the intellectual playfulness characteristic of him from boyhood—so do not fallen prophets (Elder B. H. Roberts, Introduction to Joseph Smith, Jr. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints, 6:xli-xlii). [Read more…] about “A Life Lived in Crescendo”: Selected Punctuation Marks of Joseph Smith’s Final Years

Come, Follow Me Week 40 – Doctrine and Covenants 109-110

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by David W. Smith

 

“A Fulness of the Holy Ghost”

From the beginning of his presidency, President Russell M. Nelson has repeatedly emphasized the blessings of temple service. In his very first address as President of the Church he said:

As a new Presidency, we want to begin with the end in mind. For this reason, we’re speaking to you today from a temple….The ordinances of the temple and the covenants you make there are key to strengthening your life, your marriage and family, and your ability to resist the attacks of the adversary. Your worship in the temple and your service there for your ancestors will bless you with increased personal revelation and peace and will fortify your commitment to stay on the covenant path.
(“As We Go Forward Together,” Ensign, April 2018)

In a later address he counseled: [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 40 – Doctrine and Covenants 109-110

Book Review: The Joseph Smith Papers Documents, Volume 12: March-July 1843

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Available in the FAIR bookstore

This volume of the Joseph Smith Papers contains 96 representative documents from the period of March – July 1841. During this time period, Joseph continued having legal problems with Missouri, the Kinderhook Plates were found, he led the Nauvoo Legion, construction continued on the Nauvoo House and temple, and he taught about the temple, eternal marriage, and plural marriage. Meanwhile Nauvoo continued to grow, and the church grew outside of Nauvoo and outside of the United States.

One document that I thought showed an interesting side of Joseph Smith’s personality was a response to a letter he had received from Abraham Jonas of Columbus, Illinois, asking to borrow a cannon. He wanted it for use in celebrating the failure of the establishment of a new county. Joseph’s response was to grant permission, along with a note at the end saying “Five hund[r]ed cannons you should have if I had them” (page 112). [Read more…] about Book Review: The Joseph Smith Papers Documents, Volume 12: March-July 1843

Come, Follow Me Week 36 – Doctrine and Covenants 94-97

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by Cassandra Hedelius

In D&C 88, the Lord instructed Joseph that the School of the Prophets should always begin with a striking demonstration of affection between the participants:

“[L]et the teacher arise, and, with uplifted hands to heaven, yea, even directly, salute his brother or brethren with these words:

“Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen.” (D&C 88:132-133) [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 36 – Doctrine and Covenants 94-97

Come, Follow Me Week 35 – Doctrine and Covenants 93

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“Ye Were Also In The Beginning With The Father”

By Kara Dawson

D&C 93 teaches in two separate verses that “ye were also in the beginning with the Father” (v.23) and “man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be” (v.29). Joseph Smith’s teachings during his lifetime demonstrated clearly that spirits were coeternal with God. In an 1839 sermon he taught as recorded by William Clayton, “The Spirit of Man is not a created being…It existed from Eternity and will exist to eternity. Anything created cannot be eternal.” (1) In the King Follett sermon given in 1844, he noted, “God never did have the power to create the spirit of man at all.” (2) “I must come to the resurrection of the dead, the soul, the mind of man, the immortal spirit. All men say God created it in the beginning. The very idea lessens man in my estimation; I do not believe the doctrine, I know better. Hear it all ye ends of the world, for God has told me so.” (3)

Yet how do we reconcile these verses with modern-day accepted Church teachings that, “All men and women are literally the sons and daughters of God” (4), and that, “those who abide in the covenant and are exalted in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom will have spirit children in the eternities”(5). Whether spirits existed eternally or were born in some process beyond our comprehension is one of the areas in which we are waiting for further light and knowledge, and this is clearly not a topic that we need to understand for our salvation. Church members have a variety of opinions on the subject, informed by both canonized scripture, teachings of Church leaders and folk doctrine, and consensus cannot be reached given the current lack of clarity; yet, it’s an interesting subject to study and ponder. The purpose of this short article is not to lay out the arguments for each, but to summarise the main ideas in terms of questions and the sources of scholarship available for further study on the evolution of LDS thought on the subject.

The two basic possibilities are: [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 35 – Doctrine and Covenants 93

Come, Follow Me Week 33 – Doctrine and Covenants 88

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By René Krywult

In September 1832 Joseph Smith received D&C 84, which talks about the oath and covenant of the Priesthood, about receiving the Son and the Father, and about the necessity of the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood in order to see God and live. Also, a command to build a temple was issued. In December, these temple topics were deepened, when Joseph and nine high priests “assembled in the translating room in Kirtland”.

The connection to the temple starts with the description Joseph gave to this section, saying this revelation was “plucked from the Tree of Paradise”, from the Garden of Eden, and it is evident in D&C 109, the inspired prayer of dedication for the Kirtland temple, which “drew liberally on section 88.” (https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/historical-context/dc-88/) [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 33 – Doctrine and Covenants 88

“A Life Lived in Crescendo”: Selected Punctuation Marks of Joseph Smith’s Final Years – A “Come, Follow Me” Virtual Fireside Series

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Sponsored by
The Interpreter Foundation
Book of Mormon Central
FAIR

Beginning Sunday, June 27, at 6:00 PM

(Anniversary of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom)

True to the End: The Martyrdom
Presented by
R. Jean Addams

For more information, including schedule, presenters and live-stream links, go to https://interpreterfoundation.org/conferences/a-life-lived-in-crescendo-firesides/

Come, Follow Me Week 26 – Doctrine and Covenants 67-70

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D&C 67: Four Steps to Rend the Veil and See God

By Jasmin Gimenez Rappleye

Doctrine and Covenants 67 addresses the printing of Joseph Smith’s revelations, but it more fundamentally narrows in on the source of the revelations: the presence of God. In November 1831, while discussing the printing of the Book of Commandments, some of the elders questioned the unpolished and sometimes abrasive language of the revelations. Joseph Smith promised the elders that they could receive a testimony of the revelations for themselves. When the elders tried to receive this revelation and failed, the Lord taught them how to rend the veil and approach God. Joseph had predicted that if the Saints could all “come together with one heart and one mind in perfect faith the vail might as well be rent to day as next week or any other time.” [1] [Read more…] about Come, Follow Me Week 26 – Doctrine and Covenants 67-70

FAIR Voice #35: Witnesses pt. 2 with actors for Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery

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Please remember to see the film Witnesses! In this episode, Hanna talks with actors Caleb and Paul who play Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith respectively about what it was like to play these characters and to talk more about the film. Actor Paul described playing Joseph Smith as the role of a lifetime and actor Caleb was largely introduced to Latter-day Saint religion through this film. This conversation does not disappoint!

Hanna Seariac is a MA student in Greek and Latin at Brigham Young University. She works as a research assistant on a biblical commentary and as a research assistant on early Latter-day Saint history. Her interests thematically center around sacrifice, magic, and priesthood as it pertains to ancient Judaism, early Christianity, ancient Egyptian religion, and early Restoration history.